Creekside High School stages 'Little Shop of Horrors'

Andrea Asuaje

Tuesday

Apr 26, 2011 at 6:46 PM

Don't feed the plants. At least not the ones on stage at Creekside High School.

Creekside's production of the Off-Broadway black comedy "Little Shop of Horrors" runs through Friday, and the cast and crew couldn't be more excited to share the tale of the flower-shop helpers and the plant that changed their lives.

The cast of about 30 students has prepared for the production in five weeks, four weeks earlier than the original production schedule.

Still, the students and crew have put together a fantastic show filled with toe-tapping hits, said Bradley Jay Segal, director of the show and drama teacher at Creekside.

"People will leave the show humming the songs long after they leave," Segal said.

Along with chorus teacher Natalie Sharp-Son, Segal said he and his students rehearsed throughout the week, including during drama classes and on Saturdays, to get ready for the show.

Segal even built the giant Audrey II puppet, voiced by Taylor Yuska and controlled by Daniel Suttles, that evolves from the hand puppets controlled by Seymour, the under- dog protagonist of the show.

But in Segal's eyes, the show is really about the students.

Alex Knapp, a senior heading to the University of North Florida in the fall, said playing Seymour in the show has been "absolutely incredible."

"This is the most talented cast I've ever worked with," he said. "I love this show."

Jessie Walker, a junior at Creekside, plays Audrey, the blonde babe whose heart is full of love and whose brain filled with a bit of fluff and lots of big dreams.

She said the biggest challenges she faced while preparing for the role were balancing schoolwork and rehearsals.

"It was really rough," she said.

Despite the lack of downtime, both Knapp and Walker said the work is well worth it, especially when they get to perform their duet, "Suddenly Seymour."

"It's when they finally get together," Walker said of the piece.

"And I couldn't have picked a better leading lady," Knapp said of Walker.

The leads are supported by a cast of talented students, including Austin Mosier as Mushnik, the flower shop owner; Andrew Morales, who plays Orin Scrivello, Audrey's sadistic dentist boyfriend; and Maggie Booher, Jayleen Brandariz and Becky Haltiwanger as the three doo-wop leads.

Walker said she hopes members of the community will attend the show so the cast members can share their passion for the stage with them.

Knapp said he wants the audience to witness a show where "everyone can relate to someone" in the cast.

And as for Segal, he said he'd like the audience to walk away pleased with a show that's not often seen in stages throughout the country.

"Not many people do ['Little Shop of Horrors']," he said. "But it's a lot of fun."

andrea.asuaje@jacksonville.com, (904) 359-4273

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